Thievery and Tyranny, Time and Trust
by Li'l Miss Marshmallow
Summary: Dusknoir, lord of Shadow Manor, learns the concequences and responsibilities of saving a stranger's life the hard way. Grovyle, on the other hand, has a crucial task to carry out, and desperately needs Dusknoir's help. PMD2/3 AU. DusknoirxGrovyle.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** Hello ~! This is the first fanfiction I've posted on this website, but expect more! I'm not a professional writer, nor do I aim to be, but I decided the PMD fandom needed more *good* fanfiction. So, I came up with this idea that I think is pretty cool, and I hope you all will too!

**Fandom: **Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky, medieval-esque AU. (though they don't speak that way.)  
**Pairings:** mainly DusknoirxGrovyle, and some Hero(m)xPartner(m) and WigglytuffxChatot on the side. (Also implied DialgaxCelebi?)  
**Warnings: **Yaoi. OC's (but only hero, partner, and Sableyes). Also, all characters are portrayed as humans, not Pokemon.

And now, without further ado, please enjoy** Thievery and Tyranny, Time and Trust.** Thank you~!

* * *

The lightning crackled ominously in the dark clouds above the thief's head. The rain poured down past the treetops of the forest, weighing him down with every step… but still he trudged forward. He made sure to travel solely in darkness, to avoid the glowering lights of the flashing lightning.

Suddenly, a sharp pain coursed through his side, and he fell to the ground in agony. He had to bite his lip to avoid shouting out and risking revealing himself to those who might be nearby. His wounds, throbbing and bleeding, had gotten more painful after his narrow escape from death.

'_I might as well have stayed… I'm going to die here anyway…' _the wounded thief thought fleetingly, but he pushed this mentality to the back of his mind, and dragged his body off the ground.

He traveled on like this for hours and hours, but his condition only grew worse. Every time he fell down, he would pick himself back up off the cold, wet, forest floor with great difficulty… but still every step brought him closer to his destination. He narrowed his eyes and glanced through the rain. At last, it was in sight! The castle…

* * *

"I must congratulate you two," said Dusknoir. The dinner you prepared tonight was most excellent."

"Thank you, Lord Dusknoir!" beamed Sunflora.

"It was our pleasure!" added Chimecho.

Dusknoir smiled as the both of them made their way down the stairs to the large kitchen in the basement. Even though the girls had only recently joined the staff at Shadow Manor, they seemed eager to do their best, and had easily surpassed the talent of his previous chef, Andre, who had passed away a month ago.

Andre was a member of the Sableye clan, which also resided at Shadow Manor. When Dusknoir first came to power as lord of the manor, he had been virtually powerless in terms of military. However, the Sableye clan leader, Verann, came to him with an offer, and Dusknoir just had to accept it. Verann had offered the full military cooperation of the clan, as well as household servants (not to mention access to their vast collection of rare jewels!), in exchange for two things – a place to stay for all the previously semi-nomadic clan members, and for Dusknoir to marry his daughter Kerina.

Since Shadow Manor was a very large place, there was more than enough room for about thirty more guests… but Dusknoir sometimes had trouble with his second request. The idea of marriage seemed far-fetched, especially with someone like Kerina. She was a relatively average-looking girl, even moderately attractive, but she rarely talked, never smiled, and always seemed to show up at the weirdest times. She was also quite young, too young to be married, but still Verann had insisted on her being engaged instead of her older sister, Sorei, who had taken up the position of doctor at Shadow Manor. Kerina was obviously Verann's favorite.

Thinking about Kerina was awkward for Dusknoir, seeing as he was about to be married when he had never even so much as _kissed_ a girl before, so he usually pushed thoughts of her out of his mind. However, lately, that had proven to be impossible with everyone in the household constantly chattering about the wedding, which was now two weeks away.

Dusknoir made his way up the marble staircase and sank down in his lavishly decorated throne. He sighed in exasperation. _'This next week is going to be so exhausting…'_

Suddenly, a shriek was heard from downstairs. Dusknoir leaped up and hurried toward the noise. He was halfway down the staircase when he ran into Chimecho.

"L-Lord Dusknoir!" she squeaked, her eyes wide with what seemed to be terror. "Come quickly!" They dashed downstairs as fast as they could to the double-door entrance of the manor. The heavy wooden doors were swung open, and rain was pouring onto the floor, forming an increasingly large puddle. In front of the doors sat Sunflora, overwhelmed with horror. She was kneeling over the bloody, unconscious figure of a stranger, someone who looked out of place in an environment such as this one. His ratty clothing had been torn many times to reveal bleeding gashes all over his body. Blood was pouring out of them just as rain was pouring in the doorway, forming a second, deep-red puddle next to the clear one.

"W-we just c-c-came downstairs, a-and th-th-there was a knock on the d-door… and he just collapsed!" stappered Sunflora. "Oh my gosh, w-w-what do we do?" she wailed, as her eyes began to brim with tears.

Dusknoir and Chimecho hurried over to where the stranger lay on the floor. Chimecho knelt and pressed her ear to his battered chest.

"He's still alive," she gasped, "but his heartbeat is very faint! We need to bandage his wounds, quickly!"

"Let's take him to Sorei. She'll have medical supplies," suggested Dusknoir frantically. "You two find her as quickly as possible, while I take this guy upstairs."

"R-Right!" Sunflora and Chimecho scurried up the staircase.

Dusknoir knelt down beside the stranger and scooped up his body with both arms. He climbed back up the staircase as fast as he could while carrying the weight of another person. He had just reached the next floor, when Sunflora and Chimecho ran towards him, bringing along Sorei, the doctor.

"There! There they are!" they were shouring to Sorei.

Sorei glanced at the figure in Dusknoir's arms, and spoke softly. "Follow me."

They rushed to Sorei's room, the clinic, where Dusknoir set the person he was carrying on the bed. Sorei walked over with a roll of thick, white bandaging, and began tending to his wounds. Being skilled at medical practices, it didn't take very long until every cut was wrapped with precision, and the blood ceased to escape from his body.

"You're in luck," muttered Sorei, "any longer and his heart would've stopped completely."

Dusknoir gulped. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked Sorei. "Will he survive?"

"Yes, he'll survive," said Sorei. "But he'll have to stay here in the manor for about two weeks, until his cuts have completely healed. They're quite deep, so—"

"T-two weeks?" interjected Dusknoir. "But the wedding is in two weeks!"

"Well," said Sorei, indifferently, "I guess you'll just have to accept an extra guest then…"

Sorei walked to her bedroom and closed the door. She could be a bit rude sometimes…

Suddenly, Chimecho turned to face Dusknoir.

"Sunflora and I wouldn't have been able to get him here by ourselves. It's all thanks to you that he's still alive," said Chimecho.

"Oh my gosh, she's right!" blurted Sunflora. "You totally saved his life!"

Dusknoir flushed. "I… I… It's not like I meant to! It's just…Y-you can't just let someone die like that…"

He had never planned on being a hero, really, but life throws things at you, and sometimes you have to accept the most unexpected events.

The two girls, smiling from ear to ear, left the room to go wash the dishes, leaving Dusknoir and the stranger behind…

Dusknoir looked over to the one on the bed, and got his first good look at him.

His messy, brilliant green hair was tied into a crude, short ponytail by a long, slightly crumpled leaf. The rest of his hair and his bandages covered most of his face, but his closed eyes still looked surprisingly serene for someone who had just almost died. Even through all the bloody bandages, it seemed as though he were only sleeping.

Dusknoir looked down at his neck to spot a single emerald-colored velvet band tied around it. It was frayed and dirty, and had lost much of its former luster. What a horrible way to take care of such a valuable item! His torn shirt had been removed by Sorei when she was bandaging his chest, and was hanging from the bedpost. It was a simple light brown, something only peasants and vagabonds wore. This and the velvet band made for the strangest combination of clothing Dusknoir had ever seen. How could he have afforded something like velvet if he couldn't even buy himself a decent shirt…?

The lord sat down in the chair beside the stranger, and sighed. All this thinking was making him even more stressed than he usually was, what with the preparations for the wedding beginning to wrap up every aspect of his life… He closed his eyes and sighed.

"These next two weeks are going to be so stressful… with the wedding and all…" he muttered, then stopped. He was talking out loud, to an unconscious stranger! _'No,'_ Dusknoir assured himself. _'I'm just talking to myself, that's all.' _He continued speaking, albeit softly.

"I mean… I don't think I'm ready to be married yet… Kerina's okay and all… but is she really the right person for me? …Well, it's not like her father gave me a choice. I needed the army! I just couldn't refuse, y'know…" Dusknoir stopped again. This was so stupid! Here he was, blabbering about his feelings, things nobody was supposed to know, in front of a complete stranger… but then again, it did feel somewhat comforting, being able to let this out. And the green-haired young man seemed understanding, even trustworthy, somehow…

Dusknoir got up out of the chair beside the bed and walked toward the door. He turned the knob and was about to leave the room, but looked back for an instant, back at the mysterious person laying silently in solitude. He thought fleetingly, _'I wonder what he's really like…'_, then walked out of the clinic and shut the door behind himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Lord Dusknoir awoke to the soft gleam of the morning sun on his window. His eyes opened slowly, almost reluctantly, but he mentally shook himself of this drowsiness and reached his hand out for his glasses on the nightside table. He placed the black frames on his face, then swung his legs over to the side of the bed, stood up, and walked to the other side of the room. However, instead of making his way toward the sink and the mirror in the bathroom, he found himself drawn toward his bedroom window.

The melon-colored sky was lit up by the warm glow of sunrise, and the scenery seemed to perk up at contact with the sun's rays. Dusknoir placed his hand on the stone windowsill, still cool from the night. He looked down at the town below him and smiled. It was always reassuring to see all the people and all the buildings, because it was all his. Everyone living in the area, to some degree, was under Dusknoir's power. This feeling of superiority made him swell with pride. The fact that everyone in the whole town had to submit to him, their lord, gave Dusknoir a great gloating sense of authority.

He couldn't help but smile whenever the sun rose, because of the scene it completed, of his diligent subjects beginning to bustle with morning trade and activity, always reminded him of this fascinating feeling of being on top of the world.

i'I suppose having a bedroom on the fourth story helps…'/i Dusknoir thought with a chuckle; word puns amused him greatly. He smiled briefly, praising himself, but then faltered.

i'If only Verann didn't think he was on top of the world as well… my life would be so much easier…'/i Dusknoir clenched his fist and dragged it off the windowsill.

He walked toward the bathroom mirror in silence. After turning on the creaky faucet, he splashed his groggy face with cold water, but then realized his glasses had gotten wet and wiped them on his pajama top, then slid them back on the bridge of his nose. Having just gotten out of bed, his hair was a wild, tangled mess, contrary to how it usually laid flat atop his head. He grabbed his Torkoal-shell hairbrush and began brushing out the knots to neaten his appearance. Five minutes into grooming, and Dusknoir was already emulating the proud lord he knew himself to be inside. Pleased, he walked into the adjacent closet (as opposed to the other closet on the other side of the bedroom), and changed into his usual gold-adorned black regalia, to make way for the day to come.

Dusknoir's cape swished around his ankles as he strutted down to the dining hal. The stone corridors, lit by the cool, flickering glow of blue-flamed torches, reverberated with the sound of his footsteps. As he made his way to the dimly-lit spiral staircase, he began to feel more anxious. Thirteen days until the wedding, and Dusknoir still wasn't prepared. He and Kerina still hadn't spent much time together. Weren't engaged couples supposed to be inseparable? Weren't they supposed to know each and every mushy little detail about each other? Weren't couples supposed to actually be iin love/i?

i'But then again…'/i admitted Dusknoir internally, i'I don't know much about "romance" in the first place… and I doubt Kerina does either…'/i Slowly and subtly, his face lit up with realization. i'…all the more reason for the wedding not to happen! Perhaps… perhaps there's a way to persuade Verann to call off the engagement…? I could offer him something else valuable in return… but not something /itooi valuable…'/i Dusknoir began to ponder this brilliant idea as he glided down the stairs. i'I'll think about it… and notify Verann after I've finalized my proposal… or rather, anti-proposal!'/i (Another self-congratulatory chuckle.) i'I refuse to allow myself to look weak and unprepared in front of anyone… especially not Verann!'/i

After four flights of stairs, Dusknoir arrived at the heavy wooden door to the dining room. He took a moment to close his eyes and regain his composure, then turned the handle and pushed open the door. Immediately, the friendly chatter in the room subsided. This calmed his nerves considerably. The suddenly silent atmosphere reassured Dusknoir that he had the authority in the manor. Despite the uneasiness that had been practically threatening to swallow him whole, people still looked up to him in both admiration and fear. In fact, all the lower-ranked members of the Sableye clan looked absolutely terrified. Even Zarec, Verann's most trusted Sableye warrior, looked a bit queasy. Dusknoir smirked inwardly at his. He knew firsthand that it took a lot to bring down Zarec's confidence. The warrior didn't even flinch in the face of danger, but now, in his lord's presence, he looked sick and upset.

The seat across from Zarec was empty, which wasn't abnormal at all. Sorei only came to dine with the rest of her clan on extremely important occasions, like the announcement of the engagement, Christmas Eve, or the fifth day of any month, when Sunflora and Chimecho served lasagna.

i'Though, I suppose this time she has a truly legitimate excuse…'/i thought Dusknoir while walking slowly to his own seat at the head of the table. i'She must be looking after the patient from yesterday. He was hurt quite badly… When he regains consciousness, I must ask him who attacked him… or, possibly, he wasn't attacked! There may be a chance he has some sort of disease causing symptoms of extremely fragile skin! Or maybe he's one of those suicidal maniacs that—'/i

"I asked if you were going to take your seat, Lord Dusknoir. Or perhaps you'd prefer to eat your breakfast while standing?" Verann sneered. Dusknoir had been standing blankly beside his seat before sitting down. He had become so lost in thought that he completely forgot that everyone in the dining hall was looking at him fixatedly. His face flushed, turning a deep shade of red, and he sat down quickly. Verann, who was sitting to Dusknoir's immediate left, had his eyes on the lord as well.

"Well, well. You must still be tired from your heroic deeds last night… Shall I take over managing the staff while you head back to your quarters to pack in some extra sleep?" The corners of his wrinkled mouth were turned slightly upward in a small jeering smirk.

"I was merely pausing to think, iVerann/i," spat Dusknoir. He then lowered his voice and leaned in to face the older man. "And how did you know about what happened last night? The news better not be circulating around the castle…" he hissed anxiously. i'Otherwise, my reputation as a fearful and strict lord will be tarnished!'/i By now, the Sableye people had begun talking among each other again, so Dusknoir's voice was covered up by the crowd.

"Well, of course everyone knows!" answered Verann. "You can't expect news of Lord Dusknoir taking in a drunken, bloody vagabond not to upset the prestigious Sableye clan! My suggestion? Put him back on the streets where he belongs."

Dusknoir glared. "We'll see about that. I'll make a decision once he regains consciousness. For all we know, he could be, say, hired by King Dialga to serve in my army." He turned to face his still-uneaten plate of pancakes, and began scarfing them down.

Verann picked up a bite-sized piece of his own pancake and popped it in his mouth. "Well, he better recover quickly. You need all the remaining time to prepare for the wedding!"

Dusknoir finished eating quickly and silently.

Sorei had just sat down on the edge of the clinic bed when Dusknoir walked in. Closing the door carefully behind him, he asked how the patient was doing.

"He's doing fine. Don't be such a worrywart," said Sorei while bustling around the room.

Dusknoir strode over and sat on the empty chair beside the cot-like bed. He felt a sort of obligation to this man. He didn't know why, but saving his life seemed to create some sort of attachment to this complete stranger. The lord had never experienced guilt such as this before, and it unnerved him.

Sorei sat in the chair on the other side of the bed, and began unwrapping the blood-crusted gauze bandage around the young man's head.

"The blood flow's lessened up since last night. His wounds are healing, but they're still deep enough to leave scars," she gestured to his wounded chest, "We'll just have to wait to see how that part turns out, but his recovery is going better than I thought it would."

Dusknoir blinked, but resisted the impulse to sigh.


End file.
